


Today I Learned

by NuclearNik



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Hogwarts Eighth Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21896977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuclearNik/pseuds/NuclearNik
Summary: Alone at Hogwarts on Christmas Eve, Hermione runs into someone who throws a spanner in her evening plans.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Blaise Zabini
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48
Collections: Fairest's Secret Santa Drabble Exchange 2019





	Today I Learned

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mamapotterhead2492](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mamapotterhead2492/gifts).



The night Hermione finally let go started like any other night. It was Christmas Eve, and she was nearly alone in the drafty castle. In the months since she’d all but lost her parents, Hermione hadn’t been very keen on holidays.

When she returned to Hogwarts to finish her schooling, she'd decided to stick around the castle. She just wasn't up for a bustling celebration at The Burrow where she'd have to pretend to be merry.

Instead, she stayed, and on Christmas Eve she curled up on a cushy armchair in the abandoned common room to read. 

Late into the night, her stomach grumbled, making its displeasure with her known. Reluctantly setting down her book, she pulled the shawl around her shoulders—a handmade gift from her mother several Christmases ago—a little tighter to ward off the cold as she made her way down to the basement.

Besides her, they were a few students still at Hogwarts, but the hallways were mostly empty, and soon she arrived at the kitchen.

She peeked her head in, the heat from the hearth warming her chilled skin as she walked to the counter.

“Hungry, Granger?” a voice rumbled behind her. She swivelled her head in the direction of the sound, surprised that there was anyone else down here.

With one broad shoulder propped against the door frame, there stood Blaise Zabini wearing casual clothes, a style she'd never seen him in.

He looked different. Good. _Fit._

Shaking her head to be rid of the silly thought, she turned back to her task of pilfering a few rolls from a basket and some fruit sitting next to it on the counter.

"That is usually the reason one goes to the kitchens, Zabini."

She found a cloth napkin and began to put her stolen food on top so she could wrap it up when a hand covered hers.

"Now, now. Don't be greedy, little lion. Save some for the rest of us." Nimble fingers nabbed an apple, and he brought it to his mouth to take a bite.

_Crunch._

Juice dribbled down his chin, and he used his tongue to catch it, staring her dead-on the whole while.

The sight did funny things to her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger pangs.

A little flustered, she turned back to the food, motioning for him to add his apple to the pile before wrapping it up and leading the way out of the kitchen. 

"Wait." His voice brought her to a halt, and she glanced back to see him rummaging through a cabinet above the counter. "Can't go without this." He held up a bottle of whisky in one hand and two glasses in the other.

He followed her until they reached a tucked away nook with a fireplace and cushions on the floor.

As they sat down, Blaise's gaze flicked around the area, surprise on his face. "I'm impressed. Even I didn't know this existed." Popping open the bottle, he poured some and passed it to her. 

She tipped it back before replying. The burn down her throat felt good, and she was a little proud that she drank it without so much as a cough.

"I found it years ago when I needed some peace and—most importantly—some time away from Harry and Ron. I love them, but Merlin, they're just so rough and loud sometimes."

A sly smile turned up the corners of his mouth. 

" _Rough and loud_? Are you sure they weren't—"

"Oh, stop it." Hermione could feel her cheeks burn at what he implied.

"You're too easy to rile up. Such an innocent little princess."

Her brows drew together in a frown. "I'm not innocent." The haste with which she responded was probably telling, she realized belatedly.

"Is that so?" The stupid smirk on his stupid, handsome face was still there, and suddenly it was mere inches from her own. He'd leaned in before she noticed he'd moved.

"Prove it."

What sort of Gryffindor would she be if she backed down from a dare?

Before she could think about it too much, she inched forward and pressed her mouth to his.

He tasted like apples and the whisky she'd just drank—smooth and fiery. A hand came up to cradle the back of her head, pushing them closer and drawing a moan from Hermione.

Her fingers caught in the fabric of his jumper, twisting in the threads as she tugged him closer. 

As she snogged the wizard before her like her life depended on it, a sudden thought ran unbidden through her mind. 

At family dinners when Hermione was a child, her mother would go around the table and ask each of them something they'd learned that day.

Tonight, Hermione could say she learned that Blaise Zabini was an _excellent_ kisser. 

**Author's Note:**

> To my SS recipient, I hope you enjoy! I had fun with your prompts 
> 
> All my love to the fabulous QuinTalon for pre-reading!


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